Letters to the editor: Right-to-work will harm families

I received a letter from state Sen. Jack Brandenburg that was way out of line. By comparing right-to-work with a woman’s right to choose, Brandenburg shows that he is a tone-deaf extremist politician who will say anything and do anything, including making inflammatory and insulting attacks to score political points.

He needs to own up to the fact that his support for right-to-work will hurt families across Macomb County, many of whom belong to a union by choice. They work hard and pay their fair share. They don’t need any lectures from a politician like Brandenburg about “fairness” and “choice” because Brandenburg’s vote means they will see their wages go down, benefits and health care vanish and safety at the workplace suffer.

They don’t have a choice on right-to-work now, but Brandenburg did. He chose wrong.

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FRANK P. BENSON

St. Clair Shores

Union dues shouldn’t fund politicians

All post offices were closed on Presidents Day, Feb. 18. Mail was delivered the next day. Did you miss any bills? We should make every day Presidents’ Day.

The postal union urges the continuation of the six-day mail delivery. The union uses its dues for a political agenda, while the U.S. Postal Service is going broke. When that first class letter starts costing us $2, then maybe we will wake up.

We shouldn’t ask Congress to bail out the postal service at taxpayers’ expense. Also, postal union leadership should get out of politics. Politicians use union dues to help fund campaigns, but the postal service is losing too much money. Something has got to give or the mail carriers will lose their jobs soon.

There is one particular place where Canada is recognized as the savior of the six American hostages that were successfully smuggled out of Iran in 1979. That place is the Dakota Inn, a German-style Rathskeller, now in its 80th year as a family owned sing-along tavern and restaurant in Detroit.

In 1979 after the hostage rescue, Dorothy Kurz, wife of then owner Ed Kurz, decided it would be a fitting tribute for those gathered to sing “Oh Canada.” Thus the Canadian National anthem became a part of a mandatory sing-along triumvirate, sung after the traditional Schnitzlebank, a German call and response ditty and “God Bless America.” Both the patriotic American piece and “Oh Canada,” are always sung with great gusto while standing.

The tradition continues to this day, each evening at the Dakota Inn whenever there is a pianist-conducted sing-along. There are always some, often most, who know all the words to “Oh Canada” as well as the reason behind the tribute that was initiated in 1979.